Chub and Roach

Well-known member

Hello everyone,
I am looking to get into float fishing the river for Chub and Roach, and was wondering what rod and reel would you reccomend and why?, i have had a brief look around but unsure on what will be suitable. thanks Alex

Well-known member

Any quality match rod (budget has always dictated my choice - but all main brands are serviceable and probably equally suitable). As for reels, try a marco Cortesi centrepin if you fancy trotting a pin for the first time and don't want to shell out too much, otherwise a match sized reel.

Why? Chub and roach are not really tackle fussy - it comes down to the individuals preference. The more you pay, every thing feels more refined, lighter etc, but from a purely practical point of view it don't make the biggest difference in the world.

Well-known member

i whole heartedly agree with the above, when i look at "low end" tackle now and look at what i learned to fish with there is no comparison.

i was 40 last year... i have TWO centrepins bought, a marco cortessi and a youngs bob james super lightweight, whils the youngs is lighter and smoother it is not 10 x better as the price suggests, the pin is my favorite on the river for trotting..

dragon carp rods were a plesant surprise too...

my fave rod for trotting is my drennan drx ultralight 14ft, it has handled salmon and chub to 7 lb so it is no wimp but it doesnt feel over gunned on the small stuff and is light enough to carry around all day

New member

The boom boat never produces an accurate picture of what's in a river, just a picture of what is caught on that day. This year flow rates have been much higher than in previous years and there is a tendancy for slow water species such as roach to tuck themselves into the shallows where they are out of the main flow. This is also the area where the boom boat works and works well, because the electrodes have little/no effect below 5ft, so it's no great surprise that roach have shown more consitantly this year above other species.

However, anyone fancying their chances of a 2lbs+ roach could do no better than to stick-fish the Thames with tares and feed with hemp. The roach are coming out all over the place but around the Donnington area of Oxford is doing exceedingly well (ODAA ticket).